Can Massage Therapy Really Help You Lose Weight?
Everyone wants to be the best version of themselves, and for most people, that includes looking great. So, weight loss is a huge money-making industry. And there are all sorts of rumors and postulations about how to lose weight, one of them the idea that massage therapy can help you lose weight. It might, but not in athe way that you might think.
Massage Therapy
What is a massage therapy and what can it do? Massage therapy is the manipulation of muscles through the use of touch and pressure. It also is used on soft tissue and it provides a plethora of benefits when properly applied. These benefits include:
● The relief of muscle soreness
● Stress Reduction
● Improved circulation
● More restful sleep
● Improved Range of Motion
● Lower blood pressure and heart rate
● Energy and alertness can be heightened
● Immune system boost
Massages can definitely help you maintain overall health and wellness. The relaxation and calm following a massage will help in most aspects of life. These calming benefits can be further enhanced using massage oil with CBD to further soothe sore muscles and shorten recovery time.
Each of these listed effects can be beneficial on its own, and can, in a round-about way, possibly help you when trying to lose weight.
Muscle Soreness
Getting a massage after working out can help with muscle fatigue and soreness after a workout. This could help you get back to exercising faster than you could without the massage. Will a massage after a workout help you lose more calories? Probably not. It’s also important to note that after-workout soreness is different from joint pains. If you feel something’s different with your body/joints, consult your doctor right away. You can visit W-Radiology.com to know more about specific joint pains.
Reduction of Stress
One thing massage therapy has been proven to do is help reduce your stress levels. This, in turn, reduces cortisol, and therefore, hypothetically at least, you should be able to lose weight more easily. And this does have a factual basis, but it may or may not do anything to help or speed weight loss.
Better Sleep
Getting better sleep is a key to health. You can stall certain cellular processes if you don't get enough sleep. This causes your body to function at less than its best. Usually the non-vital processes. So lack of sleep will affect weight loss. Massages will promote better sleep and therefore, better overall health and weight loss.
This one is a fact. So, in a roundabout way, massages would help weight loss. The massage itself really isn’t the factor causing the weight loss, though, so this one can go either way. It’s up to you to agree or disagree.
Improved Range of Motion
After a massage, your muscles are extremely relaxed the same way you are. This could help with your ability to perform certain stretches or exercises. Will this help with weight loss? There is no clinical data that has been found in favor of or against this in any way. It might help you do the harder exercises and burn more calories, but alone, sadly range of motion isn’t a calorie burner.
What Helps with Weight Loss?
We all want to take the easy road to weight loss. We want to watch the pounds melt off without having to make much effort. Unfortunately. that’s the opposite of the truth. Weight loss is a commitment, and there are different factors affecting it.
Diet and Exercise
Nothing will get the pounds off and keep them off the same way a lifestyle change will. If you want to lose weight and be successful in maintaining it, then the hard way is still probably the best.
Eat a balanced diet, and get some movement into your routine as often as possible. Not only will you not have to worry about massages getting the weight off for you, but the changes you make will also feel great. If you make a commitment to yourself, it’s an investment that is more than worth it.
If you still want to get a massage, you should do that. All the health benefits discussed earlier are still valid if you’re not trying to lose weight. Nothing about those benefits is a bad thing. Most people will feel great after even a short massage, and lower blood pressure is a major bonus when considering its effects on overall health.
Don’t Forget
Massages are great. They provide health benefits and can even be boosted with oils. Relaxing, calming, and a boost to your overall health, a massage is a self-care practice that everyone might want to indulge in from time to time.